10 Times Film Critics Actually Changed Their Mind
6. Roger Ebert Replaced His Lukewarm Unforgiven Review With A Rave Years Later
Roger Ebert has issued tepid reviews or even outright pans to many beloved movies, and one of his all-time most controversial reviews is his lukewarm initial response to Clint Eastwood's 1992 Best Picture-winning Western masterpiece Unforgiven.
Ebert certainly didn't slate the film, but he did call it only entertaining in the moment, stating that he found it "meandering" and its atmosphere "shapeless," which Gene Siskel more-or-less agreed with.
Ebert ended up giving it 2.5 out of 4 stars, but when he re-reviewed it a decade later, he gave it a full, enthusiastic four stars, even adding it to his prestigious "Great Movies" list.
In a 1996 interview, Ebert confirmed that his original viewing of the film was tainted by a preoccupation with his personal life:
"I changed my mind on Unforgiven; I gave it only two-and-a-half stars. I wasn't thinking very well when I reviewed that."
As for the personal issue that distracted him from fairly assessing the movie? His upcoming wedding to his future wife Chaz.